It is important for the atheists here to understand their roots, just as the Christians here ought not to be ignorant of Judaism.

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think maybe you can keep it in one laudatory thread so you don't annoy the bejezus out of us while you're elucidating?

and given that i can't access youtube at work, is ayn rand suddenly the mother of atheism?

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Suddenly? No, she's part of a long line of atheist thought originating in 19th-century Europe.

But she brought Atheism to the masses in America like no other before her. This is a prime-time television discussion of Atheism in front of a live Audience from 30 years ago! Such a topic being discussed openly on television was almost unheard of back then.

And I'm not certain why you would be annoyed by two small threads? There are a dozen or so threads on Christianity if you prefer...

The reason I object to that sentence is that is is misleading, in that it treats atheism as an ideology. Once can speak of the roots of libertarianism, or of Secular Humanism or of Christianity, but to speak of 'roots' of a personal non-belief in deity seems fallacious.

The reason I object to that sentence is that is is misleading, in that it treats atheism as an ideology. Once can speak of the roots of libertarianism, or of Secular Humanism or of Christianity, but to speak of 'roots' of a personal non-belief in deity seems fallacious.

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Atheism didn't just pop into existence out of thin air. It has a long tradition dating back to the early 19th Century that lives on today. Most of what Atheists argue today has been argued for several centuries now.

Understanding the history of Atheism is like understanding the history of Biology...neither occurred in a vacuum. Studying Atheist philosophy also helps you avoid re-inventing the wheel.

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